COVER LETTERS A presentation brought to you by the Purdue University Writing Lab

What Is a Cover Letter? A cover letter expresses your interest in and qualifications for a position to a prospective employer. Your cover letter helps you establish a professional ethos and demonstrate your communication skills.

What Should My Cover Letter Accomplish?  Your cover letter should introduce the main points of your resume.  It should also help you to “sell” your qualifications to the prospective employer.  It should convey your own professionalism through tone, language, and style.

User-Centered Theory and Cover Letters  Cover letters should be user-centered, not “me-centered”  While using “I” is inevitable, consider carefully your use of it.  Remember that it is about what YOU can do for THEM.

User-Centered Theory and Focus  Cover letters are specific to each job you apply for.  Do your research on the company, organization, school, etc. carefully so that you can relate it directly and specifically to THEM.  General cover letters and broad sweeping statements are not effective.

Preliminary Research  Find out  General job information  Desired qualifications and skills  Key values and words  Check with  Placement office files  WWW  Trade journals, magazines, and newsletters  Directories  Professors  Company literature

Header Emma Markley Human Resources Director St. Luke's Medical Center 729 S. Paulina Chicago, IL Dear Ms. Markley:  Address your letter to a specific person, ideally to the person who will interview you.  Look for the person’s name in company publications, or phone the organization and ask for the person’s name or for the personnel manager.

Introductory Paragraph Your first paragraph should:  Get the reader’s attention, stimulate interest, and be appropriate for the job you are seeking.  Make your goal clear to readers.  Preview the rest of your letter. Highlight the qualifications you will discuss throughout the letter.

Solicited Application Letters  Solicited application letters are letters written in response to an advertised job opening.  It is appropriate to mention where you learned of the opening in the first paragraph. I believe that my knowledge of public relations and my proven communication and leadership skills make me a strong candidate for the position of Media Relations Coordinator that was posted by the Delta Airlines Job Opportunities Program.

Unsolicited Application Letters  Unsolicited application letters are written to companies that have not posted a job opening.  It is important to gain the reader’s attention and persuade them that you can contribute to the company’s goals. As a member of one of the fastest growing publishing houses in the world, do you have an opening in your acquisitions department for a recent college graduate with a major in English and publishing and editing experience?

Goals of the Body Paragraphs  Highlight your strongest qualifications for the position for which you are applying.  Demonstrate how these qualifications will benefit the employer.  Refer employers to your enclosed resume.  Tell a story and make it interesting.

Detailing Your Experience  Show (don’t tell) employers your qualifications  Include specific, credible examples of your qualifications for the position.  Use numbers, names of equipment you've used, or features of a project that may apply to the job you want. As a banking representative at Bank One, I provided quality customer service while promoting the sale of products to customers. I also handled upwards of $20,000 a day and was responsible for balancing the bank’s ATM machine.

Using Active Language—Don’ts  Don’t be vague in your descriptions.  Don’t use weak verbs such as endeavored, tried, hoped, and attempted.  Don’t use sexist language such as chairman and manpower. Vague: I worked as a ramp agent at Comair. Weak: I attempted to attract customers.

Using Active Language—Do’s  Use concrete words to describe your experience.  Use present tense to discuss current activities and past tense for previous job duties or accomplishments.  Be as specific as possible in descriptions; list dollar amounts and figures when you can. Vague: I worked as a ramp agent for COMAIR. Specific: As a ramp agent, I assisted in loading baggage, oversaw fueling the aircraft, and stocked commissary items on the aircraft. Weak: I attempted to attract customers. Strong: I initiated a program to attract customers to Pizza Hut, which resulted in a 5% increase in sales for the month of June.

Organizing Your Letter  In general, cover letters should be no longer than one typed page.  Organize your body paragraphs to emphasize your strongest and most relevant qualifications. Only include the two or three strongest qualifications from your resume.  Make it easy for readers to scan your letter by beginning each paragraph with a topic sentence.

Concluding Your Letter I would welcome the opportunity to discuss these and other qualifications with you. If you are interested, please contact me at (317) any morning before 11:00 a.m., or feel free to leave a message.  Conclude by asking for a personal interview.  Be flexible regarding a date and time for the interview.  Be specific about how the interviewer should contact you.  Include a thank you.

Mailing Your Letter With Your Resume  Coordinate the design of your letter with the design of your resume.  Be sure to send both to prospective employers; they both reveal different kinds of information about you.

Key Points to Remember  Appeal to company values, attitudes, goals, projects, etc.  This letter is about THEM, not YOU  Elaborate on the information in your resume.  Provide evidence of your qualifications.  Establish a professional ethos.  Proofread carefully for grammatical and typographical errors.